Does a Dysfunctional Childhood Home Impact An Adult Woman? By Your Trauma Therapist, Sugar Land, TX
As a social worker, the one thing that I understand more than the average person is that we are influenced by social, cultural, political, family, economic, spiritual, and physical environments and circumstances. What this means is that whether we like it or not, where we came from can heavily influence who we are, how we react, and how we care for ourselves and others. This is especially important to understand when you are a trauma therapist because how a person grew up and what they experienced directly links to self-esteem, relationships, and coping mechanisms that the women I work with have.
If you grew up in a chaotic home, you may notice that you have difficulty managing your emotions. It could be because nobody taught you how to emotionally regulate. It could be a survival mechanism: to be heard or taken seriously, you had to get angry, or to stay safe and unnoticed, you had to stay quiet.
When you grow up in an environment where you do not have emotional support it is common to battle feelings of low self-esteem you wonder if you matter, if people care about you which grows your feelings of insecurity which can lead to trouble in your adult relationships such as fear of being abandoned and or not allowing yourself to be vulnerable because you fear being hurt when you let your guard down which grows feelings of loneliness. If you have ever heard of attachment theories and their impact on relationships, these are direct examples of why attachment matters.
Maybe you have noticed that you do not feel worthy of taking time for yourself, or that you do not have a right to do something that is in your best interest, because of the fear of how it would impact other people. Women who have grown up with chaotic or dysfunctional childhoods often have a habit of neglecting their own needs to care for others, because in their home, they had to parent their parents, raise their siblings, or protect their siblings.
If you have experienced any of these things, you have experienced childhood trauma, and because of this, you are more likely to have feelings of anxiety, depression, PTSD, or maybe even suicidal ideation. The good news is you do not have to go through this alone. I know trauma therapy can help you overcome your fear of connection, your co-dependency, and rebuild your self-worth. I know that when you treat your PTSD, you can feel better, and you do not have to stay haunted by the worst times in your life. You have the ability to move forward and live the life you want.
At Southern Pine Counseling, I understand that for trauma therapy, EMDR is critical. EMDR helps you by allowing your brain the chance to reprocess distressing or traumatic memories from your past. When you reprocess the memories and hurt that is holding you back, you reduce the emotional impact those memories have on your day-to-day life. This is important because it helps you replace negative self-beliefs with positive, compassionate ones, allowing you to feel safe, build resilience, improve relationships, and heal your inner child. What is really important to many people is that you get to do all of this without needing to verbally recount every detail. It uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain properly store your memories, so you no longer feel like you're reliving those hurtful moments.
I understand how scary it can be to have to confront your past, or even the idea of revisiting your past trauma. Trauma therapy is a very overwhelming idea for most people. So know that when you do come to me, I do not start with your trauma. We work on building your confidence, on establishing coping skills, and creating a safe relationship you know you can depend on. When you feel confident in your ability to move to the trauma, we then begin EMDR. Processing your trauma does not have to be scary; it can be a positive experience that allows you to feel free again and build success in your life. Call Southern Pine Counseling today to get your free consultation for trauma therapy and PTSD treatment!
